Twin Disasters Strike United States

Over the weekend, torrential rains caused “epic” flooding in Louisiana, requiring 30,000 rescues from 40,000 damaged homes in what appears to be the “worst flooding in Louisiana history” and the “worst natural disaster in the United States since Superstorm Sandy that hammered the East Coast in 2012” (AP, August 16, 2016;  LA Times, August 17, 2016; CBS/AP, August 17, 2016). Louisiana governor, John Bel Edwards said, “This is a historic flooding event. We are seeing unprecedented flood levels” (ibid.). Meanwhile, California has been set ablaze by wildfires fueled by the state’s fifth year of drought. The most recent fire, just east of Los Angeles has “rapidly scorched through 30,000 acres” and may force “more than 80,000 people to evacuate” their homes (LA Times, August 17, 2016). A veteran firefighter commented, “It hit hard. It hit fast… with an intensity we hadn’t seen before” (ibid.).

God warned modern Israelite nations—which are promoting homosexuality, same-sex marriage and transgenderism—that due to their sinful lifestyles and rejecting His laws, they would face two weather extremes: “I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city” (Amos 4:7), and “The Lord will afflict you with… fiery heat and drought, and with blight and mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish” (Deuteronomy 28:22, NRSV). The God of the Bible will not be “mocked” (Galatians 6:7). God is using the weather to humble a proud nation. To learn more, read our informative booklet Who Controls the Weather?